The Power Of Momentum, With Tips

By Lev Novak

Sometimes, doing something is more about a habit than a decision.

I chose a science picture, because this is social science.

Consider, for a moment, how you live your life. Your body knows when to wake up, maybe even before your alarm. I’m guessing you have the same breakfast more often than not and you end up going to the same place for work or school presumably day in and out.

Look: this is not a critique of routine. This is super normal and often awesome: stressing out about “switching up breakfast” every day takes up a lot of energy and time that could be better spent doing other things. If you’re eating Honey Nut Cheerios or scrambled eggs most mornings, congratulations: those are delicious and fairly healthy. That is good momentum.

But if you’re eating a mediocre donut every day, that’s not so great.

That’s because momentum can take you in different directions, for better or worse. It’s not something you choose or think about, it’s a pattern, a screen-saver of routine that takes over your choices. Consider, for a moment, the last time you woke up early enough to consider what you wanted for breakfast, to weigh options etc. A while? A week? Whatever it is, look for those patterns of unthinking momentum in your own life, and use it to your advantage.

Do one push up every morning and every night. Just one. Do it for weeks. Upgrade to ten. Upgrade to fifteen, then twenty over months. You’ll have made it a routine, and so easily- you’re not going to skip your one-pushup night, right? That’s momentum getting you in shape, making your life better.

Momentum it up.

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So here are some momentum tips.

1. Stack Your Fridge

Make it easy on yourself to eat well. Get vegetables and yogurts and you’ll gain the momentum of eating them. Don’t get snack food and you’ll get out of the habit of eating them. Change the variables and, after the initial culture shock (fight through it!) you’ll re-adjust to your new reality.

And momentum will follow.

2. Make It Easy

Momentum is about easy, so if you really want momentum, start small.

Seriously; start small. Start with those one push-up days, because if you jumps straight to fifteen you’re going to want to skip a day, or you’ll “forget” and then, bam! No momentum! You’ll be sore and excuses will pile.

If you really want momentum, you need to build on your progress, inch by inch, like a snowman.

3. Savor It

If you’re in good momentum, appreciate it. Because we take momentum for granted so often, it’s easy to forget that it takes an effort, or that it’s good. Momentum turns your situation into your standard, so every now and then, allow yourself to remember and appreciate it. Because unappreciated, momentum can slow.

Savor it. You might as well.

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